The effect of teacher feedback (written and verbal) in formative evaluations on self-efficacy and the amount of use of self-regulated learning strategies

Dissertation for Master's degree

(Educational Psychology orientation)

The effect of teacher feedback (written and verbal) in formative evaluations on self-efficacy and the level of use of self-regulation learning strategies of male and female students in the third year of middle school

Abstract:

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of teacher feedback (written and verbal). In formative evaluations, self-efficacy and the level of use of self-regulation learning strategies of students. For this purpose, 128 students were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method and were randomly placed into experimental and control groups. The groups were: the first experimental group (students who received written feedback after formative evaluations), the second experimental group (students who received verbal feedback after formative evaluations) and the control group. The tools used in the research were Morgan's academic self-efficacy questionnaire. and Jinx, Scherer's general self-efficacy and Pentrich's self-regulated learning strategies questionnaire. This tool was used as a pre-test for implementation in three groups. Then the experimental groups each received feedback for 10 weeks after formative evaluations based on Butler and Wayne's corrective feedback model (1995). During this period, the control group received feedback in the traditional way. After the end of this course, the post-tests of academic self-efficacy, general self-efficacy and self-regulated learning strategies were re-run. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, standard error) and inferential statistics (one-way analysis of variance; in order to analyze the differences between the averages of the experimental and control groups in the pre-test and t-difference to compare two independent groups). The findings showed that after the training, there was a significant difference in the self-efficacy and self-regulation learning strategies of the subjects of the experimental groups compared to the control group. Therefore, the methods of providing effective feedback are teachable and improve the efficiency of learners in motivational and academic fields and better use of self-regulated learning strategies.

Key words: Written feedback, verbal feedback, formative evaluation, self-efficacy, self-regulation learning strategies

Introduction

In the world of education, recently all efforts are to increase the quality of learning in learners (Nicol, [1] 2009). In addition, one of the goals of the educational system process is to create changes in the cognitive structure and mental processes of learners (Seif, 2018). Sogoi [2] (2009) believes that the quality of teacher education improves the level of self-efficacy of students and the quality of learning in learners is maximized when they have confidence in their abilities and self-efficacy to complete assignments. Self-efficacy refers to a person's objective judgments about their level of competence in doing tasks better and subsequently achieving better results (Bandura [3], 2007). In recent years, most of the formal and non-formal academic institutions have used their best efforts to create conditions for better teaching in order to promote the students' use of self-regulated learning strategies (Calvin and Ashmal[4], 2010; Topping[5], 2005). Emphasizing the issue of self-regulation in the learning process is very important because self-directed learners monitor the way and extent of their learning in the course of learning, and they constantly review and interrogate their learning process in order to enter information and reduce cognitive weaknesses (Zimmerman, 2008).  Based on the social-cognitive theory of Bandura (1986), Zimmerman and Shank (2001) have derived a motivational model based on which a person's self-efficacy beliefs are an important motivational factor in using self-regulation learning strategies. Shankoff and Phillips [6] (2000) have defined self-regulation as a person's control over the way of physical activities, emotion management and paying attention to the learning process. The studies of Zimmerman and Shank (2001) have provided evidence of the positive effect of academic self-efficacy beliefs on the use of self-regulated learning strategies. One of the factors that is always related to the quality of teacher teaching is the evaluation process (Sadler, 2010). It should be noted that the education system, like other systems, has its own principles and characteristics.One of its basic and integral features is evaluation, through which one can examine needs, determine goals and strategies, measure performance, and pay; In other words, evaluation is an activity that is used in all the mechanisms of this system and it clarifies the level of efficiency and effectiveness of the activities and it can never be without need (Sadler, 1998). Waltherdick (1977), believes that formative evaluation is a systematic process of implementing and using educational materials for learners in order to collect such information and data that can be used to revise the educational materials.  The approach that has been shown to be able to estimate well, whether students have reached the specified goals and standards or not, is the approach of conducting formative evaluations along with providing appropriate feedback (Orsmand, Mary and Rilling, 2002). Teacher feedback can be defined as follows: how the teacher responds to students' performance, attitude and behavior in line with the specified educational goals (Scott, 2005). Feedback can be applied in various forms such as written feedback, verbal feedback, body gestures and gestures, confirmation of student's statements, encouragement and criticism (Dinham, 2005). Paris and his colleagues (2010) believe that feedback is the most important in the formative evaluation process. Formative exams and evaluations are very useful and effective because they reveal well what errors students have and what they need to achieve optimal performance (Rilling 2002). Sadler (2010) believes that if feedback does not have a formative effect on learning, it cannot be considered appropriate feedback.  According to the value-expectation model of Pentrich and de Groot (1990), self-efficacy is one of the components of expectation, which is shaped by many factors, including feedback. On the other hand, one of the important goals of teacher evaluation is that students learn to evaluate their own work. The frequency and appropriateness of the teacher's feedback content are among the factors that play the most important role in the student's self-regulation process (Alonso, Tapia, and Panadero, 2010, Dignas and Buttner, 2008, Dignat et al., 2008, and Zimmerman and Shank, 2011). Feedback in formative evaluations is one of the basic and effective features that improves the teaching and learning process, and in addition, it can be one of the useful methods to raise the level of learning, the amount of students' use of self-regulation learning strategies, and students' self-efficacy (Block and William, 1998; Sadler, 2010). These demands are not possible unless the learner receives accurate, appropriate and complete feedback in the process of education in a continuous and purposeful manner, so that he is well aware of his efforts, progress and successes, and understands his place in the learning flow engineering and manages his activities based on the effective role he plays in his destiny.

Statement of the problem:

The quality of teaching and its relationship with students' performance is one of the important issues that has always been the focus of educators everywhere in the world, and a wide range of researches have always investigated the major effects of teaching on students' progress (Hathi[7], 2003; Rao[8], 2007). Education specialists have paid more attention to the study of factors affecting academic progress during the last three decades. Numerous research findings have shown that academic progress is affected by both knowledge structures and information processing processes. Accordingly, one of the effective factors in how information is processed is feedback [9] (Hathi and Timberly [10], 2007). There have been many discussions regarding feedback, all of which indicate that feedback is a definite plan in teaching and learning processes and is considered an important element in the set of strategies related to learning (Gipps and Stobart [11], 1997). Feedback is one of the components of learning and teaching. Research in the field of feedback is initially related to behaviorist theories such as Thorndike [12] (1932) and Skinner [13]. The study of teacher feedback in the classroom has been the subject of studies by teaching and learning experts since the 1970s. Ganye and Driscoll [14] (1988) have investigated conscious feedback as a reinforcement. In the 1970s, information processing theory [15] created a fundamental development in the concept of feedback.